Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang has hailed Hungary for considering Vietnam a priority partner in its policy of strengthening and expanding ties with Southeast Asian nations.

She made the praise while co-chairing a political consultation with Deputy State Secretary for External Economic Affairs of Hungary Bihari Katalin and holding a working session with Minister of State at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Sztaray Péter on June 8.

Both sides hailed the growing traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Hungary over the past more than seven decades. They expressed their delight at holding the political consultation at a time when the two countries celebrate the fifth anniversary of their comprehensive partnership.

Hang affirmed that Vietnam always values and wishes to strengthen multifaceted cooperation with Hungary, a traditional and sole comprehensive partner of Vietnam in the Central-Eastern Europe.

On the occasion, she thanked the Hungarian Government and people for their timely supply of vaccines and medical equipment to Vietnam, contributing to Vietnam’s success in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking highly of socio-economic achievements that Vietnam has made in recent years, as well as its role and position in the region and the world, the Hungarian side affirmed that Vietnam is always a priority partner in Hungary’s “Look East” policy.

The two sides vowed to further facilitate the exchange of delegations at all levels, particularly those at high level, and maintain the effectiveness of consultation mechanisms between the two foreign ministries to strengthen political trust and mutual understanding. This serves as a foundation to extend joint work across the board.

They expressed their satisfaction with the positive developments in bilateral trade cooperation, with two-way reaching 1.2 billion USD in 2022, nearly doubling that in 2018 when the two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive partnership.

The two officials also agreed to boost bilateral trade cooperation through fully and effectively implementing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), improving the effectiveness of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation, creating favourable conditions for each other’s goods in their respective markets, and encouraging Hungarian firms to increase investments in Vietnam, especially in fields of Hungary’s strength such as pharmaceuticals, animal husbandry, food processing and renewable energy.

The Vietnamese deputy minister thanked Hungary for being one of the first EU member states to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). She suggested Hungary support the European Commission (EC)’s removal of “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese aquatic products, adding that both sides should work closely together to deal with obstacles in projects that are delayed.

Host and guest promised to reinforce ties across defence-security, education-training, science-technology, water management, agriculture, culture-sports-tourism, and labour.

On regional and global issues of shared concern, they affirmed to continue working closely together at international forums and organisations. They underlined the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and security, including maritime security; settling disputes through peaceful means in line with international law; supporting security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, and upholding the rule of law in the East Sea, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On June 9, Hang had a discussion with State Secretary of the Office of the President of Hungary Schanda Tamas, and held a working session with the Vietnamese Embassy in Hungary.

VNA